Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 152 Leaving Beijing During the Chaos
Luoyang, Anli camp.

Inside the big tent, Zhang Yu was receiving Zhong Yao who came from Yingchuan.

"I am grateful to Ji'an for his kind words that I was summoned by the general!" Zhong Yao said with a smile.

Zhang Yu was not in high spirits, and sighed slightly, saying, "Yu is very happy that Yuan Chang can come to Beijing to serve as an official. But it is hard to know whether Yuan Chang will come to Beijing now, whether it will be a blessing or a curse!"

When He Jin came to power, he recruited more than 30 famous scholars from all over the country, such as Pang Ji, He Yong, Xun You, etc. Zhong Yao was recommended by Zhang Yu and was appointed as the Minister of Justice by He Jin. As for Xun Yu, he was recommended as a filial and honest official by the county this year.

Zhong Yao's expression became serious, and he asked, "Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the general and the grand tutor are assisting in the administration, the situation in the court and the country is stable, so why do you say that it is difficult to predict good and bad fortune?"

"Has Yuan Chang forgotten the other eunuchs?" Zhang Yu asked.

"All the regular attendants!"

Zhong Yao hesitated for a moment and said, "The eunuchs have no soldiers. They are just a few eunuchs. We can kill them with the help of the court officials. How can we say they are a disaster?"

Zhang Yu stood up from the table, holding his sword, and said, "I agree with what Yuan Chang said. But don't forget that the He family has extensive connections with the eunuchs. Now the general intends to eliminate the eunuchs, but the queen mother insists on protecting them. In order to get the queen mother to agree to kill the eunuchs, the general actually asked Dong Zhuo, Ding Yuan, and Qiao Mao to go to war to remonstrate with him."

"Dong Zhuo is like a vicious tiger, and his troops are veterans of the battlefield. The affairs of the central government should be handled by the ministers themselves, but now the general is hesitant and has led a strong army into the capital to make military remonstrations. How can we predict the consequences?"

With Zhang Yu's report of the situation in the capital, Zhong Yao's face suddenly changed. He thought that after He Jin came to power, the court would be at peace for a while, but he did not expect that He Jin would ridiculously lead local troops into the capital to force the empress dowager to kill the eunuchs.

In fact, from the perspective of outsiders, He Jin's military remonstrance may have been stupid, but He Jin also had his own difficulties. His subordinates were determined to kill the eunuchs, while his family members insisted on protecting the eunuchs. He Jin was caught in the middle and it was difficult for him to deal with it.

The reason why He Jin agreed to the so-called military remonstration was to remove him from it so that he would not be caught in the middle and could face the memorials from generals such as Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan directly.

Zhong Yao looked at Zhang Yu's back and asked worriedly, "Ji'an is the left lieutenant, in charge of the imperial guards. Can't he persuade Yuan and He?"

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "Although I am a lieutenant of the imperial guards, my words are not taken seriously. I have repeatedly warned the general against this matter, but he has not listened to me. What can I do?"

Zhang Yu's suggestion to He Jin was pure nonsense. When Zhang Yu learned that Yuan Shao had suggested to He Jin to bring Dong Zhuo to the capital, he did not worry about the subsequent development of the situation, but wanted to lead his troops out of the capital as soon as possible.

If he waited until Dong Zhuo entered the capital before leaving, it would be too late. After all, he was not like Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and other children of big families. Even if he fled back to his hometown alone, he could still raise an army with his reputation and family power.

If the thousand-plus imperial guards under his command were annexed by Dong Zhuo, he could use his troops to estimate the hundreds of cavalrymen in Pingcheng, and Zhang Yu's hard-earned fortune accumulated over the years would be wasted. Especially since the thousand imperial guards under his command were not ordinary soldiers, but the basic base for his future expansion.

Since he had just arrived in Luoyang, Zhong Yao had no idea what to do, so he asked, "What is Ji An's plan now?"

Zhang Yu held his sword with his hands behind his back, and walked with his long legs, sighing and saying, "I want to bring peace to the world, but the ministers do not agree. Taking the events of Dou Wu and Chen Fan as a lesson, I want to lead my troops to leave the capital to temporarily avoid the dangers. When the situation becomes clear next year and the court is stable, it will not be too late to return to the capital to assist in the administration."

Zhong Yao stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then said, "In the past, Shen Sheng was in danger when he was inside, but Chong Er was safe when he was outside. The political situation in the capital is unclear, and Ji An does not want to get involved in it. He might as well leave the capital in the name of fighting against the bandits. Today, bandits are rising up all over the world, and Ji An is a handsome man, so he should not worry about not having a place to show his skills!"

"What about Yuan Chang?"

Zhang Yu wanted to take Zhong Yao with him to run away, so he asked.

Zhong Yao hesitated for a moment and said, "I have just been recruited by the general. If I don't go now, I may not be able to be employed by the court in the future."

Zhong Yao smiled and said, "Besides, I am the Chief Justice of the Imperial Court, a mere official of a few hundred shi. What does the fighting between the officials in the capital have to do with me? No matter what happens, if the court wants to implement policies, it needs to use officials like me to govern the country."

Even today, the Eastern Han Dynasty is in decline, but it is not the case that the whole country will be in chaos. After all, if it were not for a series of events, the Eastern Han Dynasty could probably survive for a few more decades.

Now Zhong Yao is not Zhang Yu, and he cannot see a black swan named Dong Zhuo. Therefore, based on his usual thinking, Zhong Yao still believes that staying in the capital to work is his best choice at the moment.

Seeing this, Zhang Yu hesitated and said, "Yuan Chang needs to be careful while staying in the capital. If Luoyang is in turmoil, you can come find me."

Zhong Yao smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Ji'an. Even if there is chaos in the capital, I have ways to protect myself."

After a pause, Zhong Yao asked, "Where is Ji'an going now?"

Zhang Yu thought for a moment and said, "Shangdang is adjacent to the capital, and the distance between the two is only a few hundred miles. If there is any change in the court, I can still lead troops to rescue. Besides, the Black Mountain bandits are entrenched in the mountains, robbing the people of Bing and Ji all year round. I will fight for the people and fight against the bandits."

“Shangdang is feasible!”

Zhong Yao commented: "Shangdang is located at the top of Taihang Mountain. It is the highest place in Hebei Province and is in the same league with the sky. When Ji'an arrived at Shangdang, there was an imperial edict from the capital. The cavalrymen marched day and night and returned to the capital in a few days."

"But I don't know when Ji'an plans to leave the capital?"

Zhang Yu stopped and said, "If it is feasible, I would like to leave Beijing right now, but I am afraid that Yuan and He will not be willing to approve the military order."

Without the imperial decree, Zhang Yu's unauthorized use of troops would be treason. Moreover, even if he left the capital, the counties along the way would not provide him with supplies without the imperial summons.

While Zhong Yao was frowning in thought, he heard Xu Chu coming to report, clasping his hands and saying, "Captain, the Tiger Guards General Yuan Shu wants to see you."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu raised his head and smiled, saying, "Now that Yuan Gonglu has arrived, I can leave Beijing!"

"Yuan Chang, follow me to meet General Yuan!"

After a while, Zhang Yu led everyone out of the tent and went to the entrance of the camp to meet Yuan Shu in person.

Zhang and Yuan greeted each other, and Zhang Yu invited Yuan Shu into the tent. "Mr. Yuan is in charge of the outer court guards, how can you have time to come here now!" Zhang Yu asked with a bow.

Yuan Shu looked around the tent and said with a smile, "I have nothing to do today. I haven't seen Ji An for a while, so I came here to take a look."

"Mr. Yuan can just send someone to pass on the message, and Yu will go to the capital to pay a visit," said Zhang Yu.

Yuan Shu pondered for a moment and asked, "Ji'an has been stationed in Anli for a long time. Do you know that there has been unrest in the capital recently?"

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "Yu only knows that the general recruited Dong Zhuo, Ding Yuan and other soldiers to persuade the queen mother to issue an edict to kill the eunuchs."

"Hmm~"

Yuan Shu hesitated and said, "The general has been bewitched by He Miao and has no intention of killing the eunuchs. He only wants them to return home."

"It is not impossible to let the eunuchs return home!"

Zhang Yu said, "The He family has a deep friendship with the eunuchs, which is a problem for the general. I will temporarily spare the lives of the eunuchs, but you can investigate their crimes and punish them in the future."

Yuan Shu frowned slightly. He didn't know how to talk to Zhang Yu. Should he tell him directly what the Yuan family was planning to do?

Before Yuan Shu could speak, Zhang Yu spoke first: "Mr. Yuan, the new ruler of Luoyang has ascended to the throne, the eunuchs will be removed, and the Black Mountain bandits are causing chaos in Shangdang and Hedong. I want to lead my troops to fight against the bandits. I wonder if Grand Tutor Yuan will allow it?"

"Leaving the capital to fight the thieves?"

Yuan Shu was slightly startled, and seeing that there was no one else in the tent, he immediately asked, "Ji An, do you remember what you told me a few months ago?"

"How could you not remember?"

Zhang Yu's expression became serious, and he said, "The general is short-sighted, how can he compare to the Grand Tutor? If the Grand Tutor were in charge of government, the world would be at peace!"

"Of course!"

Yuan Shu said happily: "The Grand Tutor is worried that He Jin is frivolous and incapable of accomplishing anything, so he intends to wait for Dong Zhuo to enter the capital and then plot big things to revive the Han Dynasty."

Yuan Shu lowered his voice and said, "I rely on Ji'an very much, but if Ji'an leaves the capital to fight the enemy now, wouldn't it be like handing over the government to He Jin?"

Zhang Yu secretly cursed himself for being stupid. At first, he just wanted to win Yuan Shu's trust, but now Yuan Shu used this as a reason to reject his plan to leave the capital.

In order to leave the capital, Zhang Yu said: "If I want to plan for great things, according to your opinion, I need to leave the capital now."

"Oh!"

Yuan Shu asked in confusion, "Why does Ji'an say that?"

"As far as I know, Dong Zhuo's army is in Guanzhong, but his soldiers are only 3,000. Compared with the soldiers under Ding Yuan's command, his number is about the same."

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "In addition, in order to strengthen the capital, the general ordered his trusted men to go to the Central Plains to recruit soldiers. When his trusted men return to the capital, the general will have so many troops that it will be difficult to attack them lightly."

"Yu has left the capital now, pretending to go to Shangdang to fight the enemy, but in fact he is recruiting soldiers. If Yuan Jun sends a letter to recruit him, Yu can lead his cavalry to the capital in one day or one night to encourage you. In addition, Yu has a lot of connections with the governor of Youzhou, so he may be able to work for you!"

Yuan Shu looked suspicious and asked, "What Ji'an said makes sense, but are you really leaving the capital to recruit soldiers and contact the governor of Youzhou?"

"How dare you be false!"

Zhang Yu said sternly: "If Yu had no intention of reviving the Han Dynasty, how could he have dared to propose such a plan to Lord Yuan. Shangdang is adjacent to Luoyang, and the two are only a few hundred miles apart. If Lord Yuan sends a letter with his order, Yu can lead his troops and horses to arrive quickly."

Yuan Shu always felt that something was wrong with Zhang Yu. The situation was critical and he had to stay in Beijing to plan for great things, but Zhang Yu was trying his best to leave Beijing. However, Zhang Yu had all the reasons to leave Beijing, including recruiting soldiers and gaining Liu Yu's support.

Yuan Shu asked tentatively, "Does Ji'an know that the general has moved Wang Henei to be the governor of Henan?"

"Have heard a little bit!"

Zhang Yu said, "But the prince has not contacted me yet. I only know that he will be appointed as the governor of Henan."

After a pause, Zhang Yu asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Yuan Shu shook his head and said, "It's just that the general has been making a lot of moves recently to win over the people's hearts."

Zhang Yuru was impressed and said with a smile: "I am related to you by marriage. I know you well. You hate evil and are dedicated to supporting the Han Dynasty. The Yuan family is highly respected and has produced many wise men. If you can help the Han Dynasty to prosper, you and I will follow you."

"good!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu had no intention of working for He Jin, Yuan Shu no longer worried about why Zhang Yu insisted on leaving the capital. Instead, he felt guilty about his words of assisting the Han Dynasty in rejuvenating the country.

Yuan Shu touched his nose and said, "In that case, I'm sorry to trouble Ji'an to run around."

"Think about the country and the people!" Zhang Yu said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)